Now we come to the topic of the Sabbath day and the Lord’s Day. This is a great topic in the church, and for many years the saints have contended concerning it. We will first look at the Sabbath day and then the Lord’s Day. We will examine these two days together because one replaces the other. Although these days are related to one another in the Bible, they are two different days, just as the law and grace are two different matters. We need to consider the two days together in order to see the distinction between them.
We need to look at some important portions of the Scriptures concerning the Sabbath, which can be divided into eleven categories.
1. “On the seventh day God finished His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it” (Gen. 2:2-3).
After God created all things in six days, He rested from His work on the seventh day. He also blessed and sanctified the seventh day. God rested on this day, and He blessed and sanctified this day because His work in creation was complete. Since He had obtained what He wanted, His heart was satisfied. Therefore, He rested from His work. In His rest and satisfaction He blessed this day and separated it from the other days, making it a special day, a sanctified day. Thus, He made the seventh day a day of rest, blessing, and separation.
God especially obtained rest and satisfaction on the seventh day because of the creation of man, who is at the center of His heart’s desire. God’s eternal heart’s desire and purpose are to obtain a man to express Him and to exercise His authority. With the creation of man in His image and likeness, God had such a man. Therefore, His heart was satisfied, and He could rest; consequently, He blessed this day to make it holy.
When God rested on the seventh day, He was not the only one who was resting; the man whom He created to express Him was resting as well. This day of rest was the seventh day for God, because God worked for six days and rested on the seventh day. However, it was the first day for man, because after man was created on the sixth day, he immediately entered into rest on the Sabbath day. God worked for six days and rested on the Sabbath, but man did not need to do any work because God’s work was done, and he could simply enter into God’s enjoyment. To enjoy His rest, God had to work, but man did not have to do anything. Man could simply enjoy the rest obtained through God’s work. In His rest God enjoyed the man whom He created, and man enjoyed God and all the things God created. This was a rest for God after His labor, but it was simply rest to man. Man obtained rest as the result of God’s labor. This is the significance of the rest in creation and also the implication of the Bible’s first speaking concerning the Sabbath day rest. This speaks forth God’s original will for man, which does not require man to labor before he can enjoy rest; rather, God wants man to enjoy the rest that is produced as the result of His labor. This reflects the principle of grace, which is very different from the principle of the law. The principle of the law is that man must first work before he can rest; the principle of grace is that man needs to rest before he can work. The Sabbath ordained in creation shows this principle. Man does not have to do anything, and he can enjoy God’s rest because God has accomplished everything.
When man was created, everything he needed was provided. God created and prepared everything that man needed, whether it was air, light, water, or food. Man did not need to do anything. When he was created, everything was ready for him to enjoy. This was God’s original intention for man, and it was completely according to the principle of grace.